Conti Costanti

Andrea Costanti is at the top of his game. This is an utterly compelling range of wines. Both Rossos I tasted capture the essence of the house style and this site in the center of town, that judging by appearances alone and its location across the road from a gas station, gives absolutely no indication as to the magic in its soils. The Costanti Brunellos capture the essence of Sangiovese from Montalcino at its most refined. As good as the Brunellos are, the Costanti Rosso is every bit as pedigreed and delicious. ANTONIO GALLONI

In 1983, Andrea Costanti (at the time, fresh out of Siena University’s geology department) took over from his uncle, Count Emilio – the man who first put Costanti on the wine map.  A difficult task, yet Andrea not only coped with his huge new responsibilities, but actually upgraded and enhanced the family’s reputation for making great Brunello. Two decades later, Costanti confirms itself synonymous with top quality and consistency from vintage to vintage. In style they are a refreshing antidote to the trend in some estates in the region to produce bigger more extractive and weighty wines. By contrast, Costanti wines are all about purity and structure and tend to achieve their best after a minimum of eight years in bottle.

With more than five hectares dedicated to sangiovese for Brunello Andrea Costanti’s estate makes wine that is expressive of its terroir.  The fairly loose soil is one of the reasons for the great finesse of bouquet of the wines.  In fact these wines are never overblown: elegance is their hallmark.  MICHAEL MCNAMARA